Kill all infected animals, France raises bird flu alert status

Suara.com – Type bird flu Highly contagious H5N8 discovered this week in French in a flock of ducks, hens, turkeys and pigeons belonging to a family in the Ardennes region. All the animals were destroyed as a precautionary measure, the Ministry of Animal Husbandry said on Friday (10/9/2021).

French authorities later raised the status bird flu alert after a severe form of the virus was discovered among backyard poultry in the northeast, surpassing cases in neighboring Belgium and Luxembourg.

“The health situation regarding highly pathogenic bird flu is worrying. Since August 1, as many as 25 cases have been found in Europe, among wild and captive birds,” the ministry said.

Two H5N8 cases were reported last week in Belgium – one at a bird seller and the other in a private home – as well as a case in one of the homes in Luxembourg that was linked to a seller in Belgium.

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The most recent case involving the bird flu H5N8 prompting France to raise its risk assessment from “ordinary” to “moderate”, which would keep poultry in some areas confined indoors.

Quoted from Antara, the outbreak in France will not jeopardize the bird flu-free status which has just been re-announced in the country after the previous H5N8 bird flu wave.

Outbreaks of bird flu could force importing countries, especially in Asia, to impose trade restrictions on poultry products.

France culled about 3 million birds last winter in a duck farm in the southwest as they grapple with the spread of the virus from wild birds to flocks.

The massive outbreak prompted the government to approve new biosecurity measures with the poultry sector.

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The move includes a requirement to limit herds during times of concern and a commitment to reduce livestock overcrowding in the southwest, home to an industrial foie gras pate made from French duck liver.

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